Your First Video Game Console?

Choosing between a Wii, XBox and Playstation

If you have just bought your first video game console, or are considering joining the masses, then we hope to guide you through the differences, help you find the best games for your kids and get the most out of your gaming system!

Different game consoles have different features so we'll cover the basics and a bit of the history of video games and before getting down to the nitty gritty details.

Nintendo

• Wii (Release Dec 2006)- currently leading in sales over the Xbox 360 and PS3 through the popularity of the Wii remote to encourage 'physical playing' of games. Two of the most popular 'add-ons' to the Wii System are Wii Fit and Wii Music.
  
  Wii Fit with its range of aerobics, yoga, balance and strength activities
  
  Wii Music offers dance options as well as guitar and create your own band games and accessories
  
  The Wii has online gaming capabilities and also features parental control to restrict play by children to acceptably rated games. Many serious 'gamers' have criticized the Wii for appealing to families, but this has been its winning strategy- appealing to those who had never had an interest in video games and video game consoles.


• DS Lite (Released 2006) - lighter and more compact verion of the DS.


• DS (Dual Screen)(Release date 2004) - The Nintendo DS is a handheld gaming console, much cheaper than household consoles, with portability being all important. Weighs only 300grams/ 10 ounces and fits into a pocket. It has online (Wi-Fi) capability but with limited memory.


• Gamecube (Release 2001)- in competition with the original Xbox and PS2. Had limited support for online gaming, but some late release games like Lego Star Wars: The Video Game, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend, and The Legend of Zelda Collectors Edition helped maintain sales.

• XBox 360 (Release late 2005)- A much slimmer update to the original XBox, the 360 is currently available in 3 forms, special editions have been released as well as holiday bundles which include bonus games.
  
  XBox 360 Core (discontinued)
  Xbox 360 Arcade - basic model
  XBox 360 Premium - extra 20 or 60 GB Hard Drive
  XBox 360 Elite - 120GB Hard Drive
  
  Accessories- The XBox 360 has a range of accessories- wired and wireless controllers, headsets, webcams and now in line with Wii and PS3, dance mats and Gamercize for exercising.
  The 360 plays music, videos and photo slideshows with a number of effects available.
  
  XBox 360 Games- Call of Duty 2 and Halo 3 were huge sellers. The 360 has managed simultaneous release of many games that were originally expected to be PS3 exclusive.


• XBox (Release 2001) - Microsofts first foray into gaming consoles, to compete with the PS2 and Gamecube. XBox had a lower price than the PS2 and featured a hard drive to store games downloaded from 'XBox Live' the online store. 'XBox Live' also enables multi-player online gaming.

Sony

• PS3 PlayStation 3 (Release late 2006)- The most expensive of the current major players (XBox 360 and Wii). The PS3 features a Blu-ray player with extensive multimedia capabilities and access to the PlayStation Network for online gaming.

The differing models available range in hard drive size- 20GB, 40GB, 60GB, 80GB, 160GB. PS3 supports video, audio and photo playback in a wide variety of formats.

PS3 Games- the most popular games include Killzone 2, Metal Gear Solid 4 and Resistance: Fall of Man. In development are Stereoscopic 3D games and video- expected for both the XBox and PS3 in 2009.

Despite early negative press in regards to pricing and lack of launch games, with the release of several popular games and price revisions, the unit has gained improved feedback including the high quality of Blu-ray playback.

• PS2 Playstation 2
• PS Playstation
• Gamecube
• Game Boy Advance

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Wii Console . Playstation . XBox 360 . Video Games

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